The Cloaked
by Tr1pl3 V0cal01ds
Summary: It was a long time ago they became the pinnacle of evil. But they weren't always like that. The Cloaked were regular people who thought they could rule the demons and command their magic, but they failed and ended on a path of endless destruction. She never asked for this, but sometimes destiny works in strange ways. All it took was for someone to finally open their eyes.
1. Chapter 1

_FINALLY! I AM DONE! This is 'Len', by the way. I didn't write this story, 'Rin' did. But, she asked me to do some somewhat serious editing, so that's what I did, and it took me a lot longer than I thought it would. Nevertheless, it is finished! And with the combination of my little tweaks and patches and 'Rin's' fabulous writing skills, another wonderful story is born! Okay, I'm totally overdoing this, but seriously, it's an awesome story! Some more chapters should be coming out soon-ish. To be honest, another one is already done, but 'Rin' writes faster than I can edit... Whatever. No one cares. Enjoy the new story and leave a review for my little 'Rinny-chan' X3_

**Prologue**

A girl dressed in a black hood walked silently through the dark woods. The moon offered no light through the dense foliage covering the sky. It was pitch-black, and she couldn't see a thing. She stumbled around blindly, tripping on large roots, dead leaves and dry branches cracking under her light footsteps.

Suddenly, she stopped; someone was behind her.

"What a surprise!" the stranger said. "Running away again, I suppose?"

The girl whipped around to face him.

"I won't go back, and you better tell that to your King," she hissed.

The man smirked in the darkness. "Ah, but I don't think our king will be very happy, hmm?"

Her eyes began glowing, turning to a shade of dark purple that shone dimly in the air, cutting through the dark night. The girl's hand twitched slightly as she raised it in front of her.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. I'm only trying to help you, Sweetie," the man warned.

"Don't ever call me that!" she threatened.

"But it suits you so well-"

She didn't give him time to finish; she flicked her wrist sharply, her eyes suddenly blazing intensely. The man chocked on his words, coughing up blood into the dirt. He fell to his knees, his eyes rolling back into their sockets as he clutched his throat. His mouth opened and closed wordlessly, his pleas only coming out as a strange gurgle. Moments later, the man collapsed completely, his lifeless body convulsing violently on the forest floor.

"I don't think they'll be happy that you went easy on me," the girl said coldly as she turned away from the dead man.

**Chapter 1**

"Queen Luka," Miku said, bowing. "The Ementraud have sent their confirmation. Both clans will send half of their army along with each of the clans second in command."

The Queen nodded thoughtfully. "Hmm. The leaders' seconds, leading an army? I suppose that could work… Thank you, Miku. You are dismissed."

She bowed again, and left the throne room.

The Ementraud had two clans; the Animus and the Sapienta. Both were skilled fighters who held great strength and speed, more so than other soldiers of the kingdom. Which is why the queen called on them when times were dire. The Animus were also known to be very courageous, though somewhat reckless, while the Sapienta had the reputation of being much wiser and more calculating.

Miku, although born from an Animus family, wasn't technically considered one; she was a Blessed. The Blessed had the ability to read thoughts, and sometimes even possess them, forcing ideas and actions into another's mind, willingly or not. They could be born from any kind of family, whether they had a history in magic, like the Ementraud clans, or not. However, regardless of the family to which they were born, they differed from the other children in their village, showing abilities the others did not have, and lacking the ones they were supposed to be born with. Unfortunately, Blessed were very rare and very powerful. They were not given the choice to live a normal life; all those who were Blessed became the property of the royal family. Once a child showed signs of having this power, they were instantly stripped from their homes, regardless of their age, and sent to the kingdom of Gaudium to be trained as a soldier serving the king and queen directly; just like Miku. Those children rarely saw their families again after that.

…

As expected, the Ementraud came shortly after the message had been received. The armies of the two clans settled into an empty part of town where the Healers were close by and easily accessible when they would be needed. The leaders' seconds, on the other hand, came straight to the throne room as soon as they'd arrived.

Miku was next to the Queen, standing completely still and looking slightly too stiff. When a man from the Animus walked into the room, she couldn't help but smile in shock and delight at the familiarity of his face; teal eyes that matched the color of his hair, just like herself. He was tall and had a muscular build – much like every adult of the Animus and Sapienta. Although he had changed since she last saw him ten years ago, Miku could still recognized that confident glint in his eye; it was Mikuo, her twin brother. He was a second now, and although they'd been apart for a very long time, she still loved him and couldn't hide the pride she felt from showing on her face.

Next to him was a slightly shorter man who seemed to be the same age as her; he had light blond hair tied up into a messy ponytail that complimented nicely his cerulean eyes. His skin was tanned and, of course, had a strong body, although he was a little skinnier than Mikuo. Nevertheless, he instantly caught Miku's eye.

Mikuo gave her his familiar, wide grin that hadn't changed in the least over the years.

Both men bowed, and then Mikuo spoke first. "I'm Hatsune Mikuo, the Animus's second; our leader, Kamui Gakupo, has sent me here in order to help deal with the rising threat of the Cloaked."

"I'm Kagamine Len, second of the Sapienta," the blond said. "Our leader, Kagamine Leon, sent me here along with half of our army." There was a pause. "If we can, we'll help restore the peace that was once in these lands."

All lies, coming from you, Miku heard her brother think. She glanced at him and took note of the disgusted look painted on his face, though she wasn't sure why… Oh, wait. The Animus and Sapienta disliked… No, that wouldn't be quite accurate. They absolutely despised each other. The Blessed sighed; they would need a miracle for this to work out.

…

Their audience with the Queen now over, Mikuo strode out of the throne room, all the while glaring at that Kagamine… He thought it was odd that the leader of the Sapienta had chosen his own son to be second-

"Actually, just like you, they choose the best; it has nothing to do with blood."

He turned around, and there she was; still baby-faced, with her twin pig-tails and kind teal eyes. Miku, his beloved twin sister.

She bounded into his arms, slamming hard against him as he caught her flying figure. He stumbled backwards a little before regaining his balance. Holding her tightly, her feet hovered above the ground as a smile stretched across his features. He was afraid that if he let her go, she'd be ripped away from him again.

"Don't worry, silly, I'm not going anywhere!" she said, bursting into tears of joy.

Mikuo smiled sheepishly as he loosened his hold a little, remembering she could read his thoughts. "I'm glad you're okay-"

"You're a second!" she said, cutting him off. "I- Mikuo, that's amazing! You- you used to be one of the worst, but you still made it!" his little sister cheered, unable to control her excitement.

He let go of her, placing her feet back onto the floor, and looked straight into her eyes. "That's because I wanted to see you again."

…

Len walked slowly along the seashore. The sun was setting, and he admired the sky in the distance as the oranges, reds and yellows lite it up like a raging fire. He wondered how any of this could work out with Hatsune constantly giving him hateful and reproachful glares. He sighed; if the Animus still thought like their ancestors did two thousand years ago, then Hatsune's clan would eventually turn their backs on him and his people, who once were brother's to the Animus. Thing was, before, they were just called Ementraud. They weren't two separate and distinct clans. But at some point, a demon named Astaroth came to them, saying he'd teach them new fighting techniques, and also how to use magic. Astaroth was one of the rare demon's who had turned their backs on their kind and became an entity of good rather than an evil creature feared by people. At that time- and still now- magic was considered dangerous. Most people stayed away from it, not wanting to be consumed by its power like the Cloaked had. Most of the Ementraud recoiled against Astaroth's offer, but a small portion of them were willing to take on magic and tame it in order to use it to better defend the land against the Cloaked. However, the ones who didn't follow Astaroth considered the ones who did traitors and began to hate them. That was when the two clans were created. The Sapienta, who had learned magic, didn't get consumed by power, but the Animus continued to hate them and became closed minded, hating everything that had to do with demons and magic, good or bad.

"But that's because Astaroth taught good magic. Have you ever heard of the two branches?"

Len jumped, slightly surprised.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you, Sir Kagamine," the Blessed said.

"Just Len is fine. And yes, I do know about the two branches. One that's demonic, overwhelmingly powerful and can easily consume its wielder and one that's weaker but allows one to submit it to his will."

Miku nodded. "The Cloaked thought that the demons' branch was the best. But they were only regular humans, and they were easily crushed under the weight of the sheer demonic power. They became ruled by the demons and their magic and turned into what they are today."

"But, there were other humans, like me and my people, who decided to try magic too. Instead, they chose the second branch and learned how to help others rather than destroy everything," Len finished. "Now anyone can use magic; except the Animus."

"You sure know your history," Miku said, smiling sweetly.

Len smirked. "It's one of the first things you learn. Don't go near the demons' branch."

She laughed, but was soon cut off when he asked for her name.

"Miku. Hatsune Miku."

"So I suppose you're Mikuo's sister?"

"Yes, but we're almost strangers at this point," she replied. Len nodded his understanding.

At that moment, they heard the guards of Gaudium screaming for everyone to go hide in their homes, and so, Len and Miku, both worried, headed to the palace.

…

Len, Mikuo, and Miku all found themselves in the throne room once more as they awaited the queen and her soldiers to figure out what was going on.

Finally, her highness, accompanied by one of her men, entered the room. She looked furious.

"WHO?! W-WHO LET HER IN!?"

"My queen, please calm down. Who are you talking about?" Miku said, trying to subdue the queen.

"A-a Cloaked is here," she answered furiously, though the fear was written plainly in her face.

"What!? Well, what are we waiting for? It's one of them against three full armies!" Mikuo said loudly.

"Not to fret, Majesty, we can handle her," a guard assured as he entered the room. He was closely followed by five other men who were holding a hooded girl.

"Did she hurt anyone?"

"No, actually. She's only been defending herself."

"Please," the girl pleaded. "I only wish to warn you-" A soldier pulled off her hood. Her hair was a striking blonde and hung down to her shoulders. Long bangs were pushed to the side and framed a pair of big, stale, blue eyes. Her silhouette was quite petite and thin, though it was hard to tell considering the hood and cape she wore..

"Warn me about what?" the queen asked, a hint of suspicion in her voice.

"Two nights from now, there's going to be an attack delivered by my people. They'll attack this town and destroy everything; not even the children will be spared."

The royal lady stood up straight, uncertainty flashing across her face. "Should I trust her, Miku?"

Miku was in disarray; she couldn't read the girl's mind. It was closed, her thoughts locked away inside her head in a place even Miku couldn't reach; she had no idea why. She hadn't even thought of the possibilty of not being able to read someone's mind from ever arising. But there wasn't any reason to trust a Cloaked; they were the enemy, that was all there was to it.

"No," she responded coldly after a minute of quiet pondering.

"Alright. Guards. Send her in the dungeon, and keep her under close surveillance."

They grabbed the Cloaked and left. "You're making a huge mistake," shemuttered under her breath before completely disappearing through the wide doors.

"Prepare your armies; we need to be ready for this attack," the queen commanded, her voice sounding uncertain and hesitant.

Mikuo shook his head lightly. "This is obviously a setup."

"Better safe than sorry," Len mumbled under his breath.

"Who asked your opinion?" Mikuo snapped viciously.

Len shot him a glare. "And who asked yours?"

****

_Okay guys! Just so you know, Sapienta means WISDOM, Animus means courageous, Ementraud means brave in war and Gaudium is joy. ALL OF THIS is in Latin. Yeaaaaaaaaaaaah…_


	2. Chapter 2

_So this is the second chapter of my story. Len will post the next one when he's done correcting it. *Sigh* Why must he take so long? Anyway, enjoy and leave a review!_

**Chapter 2**

The Queen had requested that her people as well as the Ementrauds prepare themselves for the possibility of an upcoming battle; it wasn't an easy task, considering they potentially only had two days. As if that weren't enough, they had widespread fear and panic in the city by the knowledge there was a Cloaked within the city walls. The weapons she'd arrived with had been confiscated and she was locked up in a heavily guarded dungeon especially built for keeping a Cloaked at bay; as long as she was there, she would be deprived of her powers. But the thought of her escaping... Who could blame them for being afraid?

…

"Luki, you're in charge of the wall facing north. Oliver, you're taking the east and Akaito, the south. I'll handle the west wall. Most of the Cloaked should gather around that gate... It's almost a direct path to the town," Len strategized in front of a map. His finger traced the enemies' path, starting from the forest to the west where the Cloaked would be most likely to arrive from.

He looked up at his subordinates. "Any questions?"

They all shook their heads.

"I've split up the army into four groups; you'll each have a decent amount of men, but the majority will be under my command, in the west. They're ready to be put in position as soon as you give the order," he explained, looking intently at each of them, making sure they understood every piece of information he gave.

"What about the Animus?" Oliver asked. "Where will they be?"

"They'll be behind the walls, with the Queen's soldiers. If the Cloaked manage to break through the gate into the city, they'll be waiting. Their job is to protect the people and the healers." Len stood up and gripped his bow, throwing a quiver full of arrows onto his back. "You should prepare yourselves." He strapped two small daggers to his belt, tugging at them a little to be sure they wouldn't fall. "We've got approximately two hours left before nightfall. Good luck." He left the tent without another word.

…

Miku was helping the women and children gather in the hideout under the town. The place was simple; walls and flooring made out of rough gray bricks. It had been built for practicality and safety, nothing more.

She sighed; she had to stay there with the Queen and the villagers. Maybe next time she could fight alongside with the Animus. But, she wasn't sure if she was skilled enough to do so. And the fact that she was a girl didn't help, nor that her brother was a leader and wouldn't want her to be hurt. But she could always try.

As she was leaving to find Queen Luka, who was still in the palace, she stumbled, distracted by her turbulent thoughts. Luckily, a blond man with smiling ember eyes caught her before she made what would have been a very painful faceplant. He grinned at her. "Clumsy are we?"

Miku straightened up, brushing dust from her white dress and ignoring his infuriating comment. He hadn't meant to be offensive, but what gave him the right? The angered Blessed whipped around roughly, blushing madly, both with embarrassment and anger. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides, turning her knuckles white and digging her nails into her flesh.

The poor man seemed to be in shock by her violent reaction. "Err, did I say something?"

"Oliver, that's your name?" Miku hissed between her teeth.

Oliver stared at the teal-haired girl, his eyes wide with confusion and a hint of fear. "How did- oh. You're a Blessed?"

"Yes," she spat, making Oliver flinch. She spun on her heels and stomped away. Oliver stared after her in awe and shock, his mouth hanging open as if he were about to say something, though he himself wouldn't have known what to say in the face of the girl's unreasonable anger.

…

The sun had set over the horizon, and Mikuo was standing in front of the gate, his muscles taught and ready for battle as adrenaline flowed through his body. The sky was a dark blue, but the fading orange light from the setting sun neatly cut out the silhouettes of the Sapientas hurrying up the stairs leading to the top of the city walls. It was a silly remark, but he couldn't help noticing that the full moon was perfectly aligned with one of the four towers, making it seem as if a white orb was placed there.

The Animus' second looked around and sighed; he was stressed out. He still believed this was a bluff, but the rushed preparations and barely-contained panic had taken its toll on him. He tried to relax, convinced that a battle wasn't about to-

His thoughts were cut short by the sound of shouted orders cutting through the night, and by the quiet swish of arrows slicing through the calm dark air; the Sapientas had opened fire on something beyond the walls. Mikuo gripped the handle his sword still resting in its sheath tighter.

This was going to be a busy night.

…

Although there were numerous torches placed along the wall of the city, the Sapientas couldn't see anything. The field in front of them was an expanse of black; it was impossible to discern anything down there. Not even the moon provided an ounce of light. They may as well have been blind. The only thing they could see were their comrads standing with worried expressions along the wall. Len was thoroughly amazed by the darkness of the night. It was almost… unnatural.

Everyone was standing still, the quiet and the darkness making it seem as if time itself was frozen. The edginess, the fear and the adrenaline that hung in the air was almost tangible. Len listened for any sign of movement, but there was nothing but quiet. Like the darkness, the lack of sound was almost unnatural; not even the crickets nor the frogs could be heard. He knew most were wondering if this was a joke or whether there really was an impending threat, and not knowing put everyone's nerves on edge; the tension was thick. Len himself was starting to doubt his decision when blazing purple eyes came into view; they were here, and they were ready to fight.

With a shout to open fire, Len reached behind himself swiftly and grabbed an arrow, notching it to the bow string. He took careful but quick aim between a pair of glowing eyes and set the arrow free, where in buried itself into the Cloaked's skull. He took a deep breath as he aimed another one, adrenaline rushing through his veins.

Just as he was about to shoot another Cloaked, he felt the wall shake, throwing off his aim. He lowered his bow, the arrow still ready to be fired at a moment's notice, and peered down through the darkness, his eyes stopping on a short-haired brunette with her hands in the air. The intensity of her blazing eyes illuminated her face. The wall shook again, stronger this time, and Len had to hold onto the side with his free hand to steady himself. She was obviously trying to destroy the only protection Gaudium had, aside from the Animus which would be waiting on the other side.

He tried to strike her, but the angle at which he had to aim, combined with the shaking of the wall, made it impossible for his arrow to reach her.

She grinned madly at him, noticing his struggle to take aim and opened her hands again. Len's eyes widened as he realized what would happen, but it was too late for him to react.

Part of the wall exploded with a loud, crushing sound as the ground crumbled beneath his feet.

…

Rin felt her cell agitate. Something had surely exploded. Slowly, she stood up from the corner of her prison and went to the bars, wrapping her hands around the metal.

"I'm thirsty," she said, her voice sounding devoid of emotions.

The guard gave her a disconcerted and surprised look at her statement. She hadn't asked for anything for the past two days; she hadn't even moved from her spot in the corner of the cell.

Shrugging, he took a wooden bucket filled with water and walked to the barred door of her enclosed chamber. He unlocked it and handed her the bucket, keeping his distances. She took it without a word.

"Anything el-"

He was cut off by a splash of her drink. Spluttering, he tried to rube the water out of his eyes, but a quick punch was delivered to his face. Pain shot through his head as his nose let out a sickening crunch before he fell to the ground, unconscious.

Exiting through her open cell door, Rin grabbed the guard's keys. She straightened up and stared at the knocked-out man for a moment.

"Thank you." She stepped over the guard's body and left.

…

There was a slight tremble from outside the walls of the hideout. Yuki whimpered in Miku's arms as some dirt fell from the ceiling. The Blessed hugged the child tightly, smiling reassuringly.

"Sing to me, please?" the young girl asked in a small voice.

Miku nodded, and sang a lullaby.

…

Mikuo hadn't really expected the Cloaked to show up, let alone infiltrate the city. He wondered idly how his sister could have been wrong about something, but he shoved those thoughts away, not wanting to be distracted. Fighting the Clacked in close quarters was extremely dangerous, and it would take his entire focus.

He pulled out his katana and charged at the enemies pooring in through the massive hole ripped into the wall. A man threw him wine-colored fire, in which Mikuo promptly avoided by ducking down, sliding between the Cloaked's legs, slicing off his right one with a swing of his sword. The man cried out, falling heavily to his knee, before Mikuo ended his life with a slash upwards as he jumped back to his feet

He felt a sharp burning pain in his left hand; he whipped around to see another Cloaked running at him, hands aimed at his limb.

Ignoring the pain, he held his sword in an upright position in front of him, the ache spreading to his arm. The man glared at him, smirking as his eyes screamed in victory. He stopped near the Ementraud, pulling out a dagger and twirling it in his hand. Mikuo grinned. "Nice try buddy." His entire left side was throbbing now, as if thousands of knives were cutting into his skin, but it wasn't paralyzed; good enough.

Mikuo took a step forward, daring the Cloaked to lash out. But, Mikuo never gave him the time; he punched the man with his good elbow, stunning him as he took the opportunity to rapidly turn, stabbing his blade into his back and piercing his heart. The Cloaked forwards, landing with a satisfying 'thump'.

Mikuo placed his foot on the dead man's back, pulling out his sword from the body. He grinned as the burning ceased.

…

When Len woke up, he was dazed; every figure he saw was hazy, and his thoughts were incoherent and confused. He sat up, dust and grim making his tongue thick and dry. He touched his head as a sharp pain scattered black dots over his vision; there was dry blood on his forehead.

He fell from the wall.

Like a flash, he remembered where he was. With difficulty, he managed to stand up, staggering as he struggled to keep his balance. He heard a familiar voice screaming over the commotion of the battle raging around him; it was Oliver.

"Len! Thank God you're alive! We've got to get you to the Healers-"

"Oliver, I'm fine," he assured his vision clearing as his friend came closer.

He looked at the battle field; many Cloaked had entered the city, but none were near the buildings. His main worry was the safety of the people, and the enemy was still far enough not to be able to harm them.

He spotted the same brunette who had destroyed part of the wall. She was making a massive purple sphere that hovered between her hands, spinning as it grew bigger steadily. Oliver stared in awe, his mouth hanging open slightly, probably wondering how she could do that. But compared to the others, her eyes shone much brighter than them. It was probably power; she was a lot more powerful than an average Cloaked.

Instinctively, he grabbed for his bow. But it had fallen with him, buried somewhere in the stone rubble and probably destroyed by now.

He sighed and pulled out his two short, thin daggers, positioning them in a backwards position so that the blades were aligned with his arms, the sharp, cutting edges facing outwards. Though it was unusual, he preferred it this way; it made it easier to guide the blades where he wanted them to strike.

"You're going to kill yourself!" Oliver said, panic in his voice. He took out an arrow from the quiver tied to his back. "Can I at least shoot, sir?"

Len nodded, ignoring the sarcasm in his subordinate's voice. "On three."

"One."

Her sphere was dangerously big, twice the size of the woman's head.

"Two."

He held his daggers tightly, readying himself to charge.

"Three."

The arrow cut through the air, rushing to her neck. Len momentarily saw a sadistic smirk painted on her face as and she let the sphere go in their direction. The arrow disintegrated in an instant in the path of the ball of power.

Len took an unconscious step back, bracing himself for the blow. But it never came; it was stopped by someone.

The prisoner; Rin.

"What the hell-"

"You could at least thank me." She was holding the sphere with both hands, shrinking it as if she was absorbing the energy. It disappeared completely, vanishing with a small crackle of power.

The brunette stared, her face a mask of horror. She backed away, disappearing through the crowd.

Len was about to strike Rin, but she turned to him, eyes still blazing menacingly. "I wouldn't do that." She glared at him. "Between you and me, I honestly have a better chance than your daggers. I don't care how good you are. Oh, and, didn't I just save your lives?" she added, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she stared at Oliver.

The first rays of sun peeked out, and they heard the sound of a horn ringing in the morning air as the Cloaked retreated. The city's wall and its soldiers were a wreck, but it was over.

They had won the battle.


	3. Chapter 3

_Oh wow. It's been long. Reallllllly long. But it's my fault, not 'Rin's', actually, because I've had this chapter for a long time, and just never got around to correcting it. And then when I did, I still didn't post it for another little while. Oops. Hehehe... hehe... Well, it's here now, so without further ado, enjoy! And leave a review, of course X3_

**Chapter 3**

It was late in the morning, and Len was in one of the castle's spare rooms with Rin. He was in charge of supervising her – he hoped it was the last time too – and she was obviously frustrated about the situation.

The room was decently sized, but there wasn't much furniture decorating the area, making it seem larger than it actually was. In the center of the room, Len was slouched in a chair, a wooden table standing beside him. As for Rin, she sat back lazily on a pastel yellow couch framed with the same dark wood as the table. Thick golden curtains were draped over the only window in the room, leaving them in complete darkness.

Len had been asleep in the chair, his neck twisted at a strange angle, when he heard Rin mumble something, rousing him from his shallow slumber.

"What?" he asked as he stretched, his voice sticky with sleep.

Rin sighed, sounding irritated. "I can take care of myself, you know. I may look small, but I'm older than you think."

Len shrugged. "Don't brush this off so easily. You look about fifteen, by the way."

"You _all_ think I'm going to hurt you," Rin grumbled, rolling her eyes. "And I'm seventeen," she added, crossing her arms with a childish pout.

"Correction; we all think you're going to _murder _us." Len settled back into his chair, rocking it on the two hind legs as he twisted to rest one arm on the back rest.

She threw him a glare. "I helped your army, and _this_ is what I get for it?"

"You're an extremely powerful Cloaked, on the loose–"

"Of course I'm on the loose! I mean, I've got a _Sapienta_ next to me who won't even let me go to the _bathroom _alo–"

He cut off her sarcastic comment and continued, ignoring her outraged glare. "Who can probably blow up the whole kingdo–"

"Actually, I can't; but I'm pretty sure about a fifth of it would be gone..." She snapped her fingers as she leaned forward. "In a snap," she added meaningfully. She slumped back again, the pout returning. "Get your proportions right."

Len snorted, throwing his head back to stare at the ceiling with a mocking smirk. "And you expect us to _trust _you?"

She rolled her eyes, as if his doubt was completely unfounded. "I expect all of you to trust me. I refuse to be one of _them_."

Len dropped the subject with a sigh, thinking it was a lost cause anyway. He stood up, wincing as his body, still sore from his fall, protested, and pushed open the thick curtains draped over the large window. Rin flinched away, squinting as the sun shone directly into her face.

"Ugh, could you close them?" she hissed.

Len studied her, noticing she was, in fact, very pale; she could easily play dead if it weren't for the pink tinting her cheeks. "Why? You look like you need it," he said with a condescending smirk.

"No, I don't," she replied coldly, pulling her hood on top of her head, covering her eyes from the harsh light.

Len sat down again, completely dismissing her request. "Bet that you've never seen the sun." Len fought to keep from laughing, but couldn't stop the growing smirk stretching across his face.

Rin glared at him, wanting to rip his head off. "Do you know _why_ you never see Cloaked outside, in the sun?" She didn't give him time to answer. "Because fighting during the night, while the enemy sleeps, is a lot less troublesome and _much _more convenient."

_Cheaters, _Len thought, keeping it to himself.

"Well," he said in an amused voice. "Better get used to it; aren't you the one who told me you weren't a Cloaked? Like, less than a few minutes ago?"

"Shut up," Rin grumbled, pulling the hood further over he head..

Just then, the Queen, accompanied by the Animus'second and the Blessed,opened the door and stormed in, glaring at Len.

"Can you explain to me how she got out of the dungeon?" The Queen then turned to Rin, as if just noticing the girl's presence. "How did you even infiltrate my kingdom?" she demanded loudly, her outraged voice reverberating in the almost-empty room as she narrowed her eyes at the Cloaked girl.

Rin stood up, bowing her head politely before swiftly pushing off her hood. "Well… I hid in a milk man's carriage… and he must've had a feeling something was wrong because he came around back to see if there was a problem about an hour or so later. So I possessed his body and made him bring me here-"

Mikuo interrupted her, his expression confused. "But you're not a Blessed…"

Rin shook her head. "No, but I don't control minds either, only bodies. The farmer will remember exactly what happened; he'll probably feel bad about having done something against his will too. A Blessed, on the other hand, simply alters your perspective and makes you do something you believe is perfectly rational."

She walked towards the table where Len was seated and dropped the keys to the dungeon cells on the wooden surface. "I _did_ hurt one of your guard–"

Miku let out a snort. "Understatement of the year," she muttered.

"But," Rin continued, glaring momentarily at the Blessed, "it was only because I felt an explosion, which I think was the wall being blown to smithereenes. I only wanted to help."

Queen Luka gazed at the floor for a moment, trying to decided what she should do. Finally, she looked up and said, "I suppose you could be of help to us. Tell me, when will be the next attack?"

The Cloaked answered slowly, uncertainly. "I don't know, but…"

The Queen lifted one eyebrow. "But?" she urged.

Rin bit her lip. "I do know their main plan."

"And what is that?"

Silence filled the room, everyone staring at the blond girl with interest.

"They're buying themselves time by fighting all of you," Rin said, staring intently at the floor.

"Time? Time for what?" Mikuo interjected.

"They... they want..." The Cloaked seemed to hesistate as she chewed her lip viciously. Finally, she sighed and looked up to meet the Queen's searching gaze. "They want to resurect Leviathan," she dropped, sounding tired all of a sudden.

Luka's eyes widened at the mention of the name. The Leviathan had been the most powerful demon ever born in the history of mankind. Not even a century ago, he'd still been alive. His main goal had been to destroy the entirety of the human race, and everything else that got in his way. No one knew the reason behind his unmatched hate for humans, but then again, he was a demon; he didn't need a reason; he just needed power. He had almost succeeded in his endeavor, but, with victory within reach, he'd vanished and nobody ever saw him again. No one knew what had happened, or why Leviathan had disappeared so suddenly when he was on the verge of success, but it didn't matter; the kingdom was released from his deadly grasp. They'd waited and waited, but he never came back. And now the Cloaked wanted to resurect him? The Queen shivered at the thought of it; she hadn't even been born yet when it had happened, but the stories she'd overheard as a child, when the memories of the men were still fresh, were horrid. The kingdom had never seen darker times than when the Leviathan had been alive; even now, things weren't nearly as bad as they'd been back then. Or so they'd thought.

"H-how would they even manage to do that?" the Queen choked out when she found her voice again.

"Your Majesty, I'm not entirely sure; I know they need a body, but that they haven't decided who it was going to be yet. Aside from that, I don't know much; I'm not part of this–"

Miku interrupted the blonde, narrowing her eyes suspisciously. "And yet, according to everyone else, you're stronger than that brunette who blew up the damn wall!"

"Meiko?" Rin said, turning to look at the Blessed. "Well, yes, I am. She's... she's got a few loose screws. I mean, more than most of the other Cloaked. Anyway," she continued, turning to face the Queen again. "I'm not of age to be in... uh… such an important... thing... like this… My apologies; I'm not much help." She scratched the back of her head as she frowned at the floor, looking genuinely apologetic.

Len was surprised by her politeness towards Queen Luka; her mood had changed completely in a matter of seconds. Then again; it _was_ the Queen; the woman could have her executed in not even two minutes.

"Well." The Queen took a deep breath. "They will attack again; and it will be much worse, won't it?"

"Yes." She looked up at the Queen, seeming more certain now. "They underestimated all of you, and probably weren't expecting you to be ready for them. They won't make the same mistake twice; next time, they'll bring out their worst."

Mikuo shook his head. "Wait, worse than that– worse than Meiko?"

Rin smiled bitterly. "Meiko just loves to fight and couldn't care less about orders; she probably followed the army today even if she was instructed to stay away. The Cloaked in that army were weak, and Meiko wanted more bloodshed then the ones who were sent would have provided, whether they'd won or not."

"So, you're basically saying that they've got an even bigger army, all jacked up with Cloaked like Meiko, and that _that's _what we'll be fighting next time?" Len asked, wondering how they would be able to pull it off. Had it not been for Rin, they might not even have won _today._ The truth was, they lacked magic; aside from Rin, only Sapientas, Healers and some daring humans could use it. Compared to the Cloaked's power, it was rather pathetic. And the healers only healed, they wouldn't fight.

"Well, that's the idea," she answered, biting her lip again. "But they're not all lunatics like her. Well, they're all insane to _some _degree, but it's hard to find someone as... blood-thirsty... as her."

They all stood around, looking at each other anxiously as they tried to picture an outcome that didn't end with everyone in the kingdom being dead. The silence was heavy, each of them feeling the hopelessness of their situation.

Finally, the Queen sighed. "Thank you. Rin." She turned to address Len. "She will fight with your men, and she will be your responsibility."

_Great, just what I needed, _Miku heard Len think, although his face remained completely impassive as he nodded.

Luka glanced at Rin meaningfully as she continued. "If she shows any sign of betrayal – any sign whatsoever – you are under orders to kill her immediately. Do I make myself clear?" Both Rin and Len nodded. The Queen smiled, her features sofetening. "Good. I'll have a room prepared just for you; you are a guest now."

…

Miku couldn't believe it! The Queen decided to _trust_ the Cloaked!? It was a ploy; she wanted them to have faith in her, and sooner or later, she would kill them all, one by one, with no pity.

Miku had to figure out why, exactly, Rin was here. She had to figure out who the blonde was, why she was turning her back on her own _people,_ and most importantly, why she couldn't read her mind.

…

"So… let me get this straight; the Queen ordered you to take care of Rin?" Oliver asked. He paused. "Damn."

Len hit the target, planting the arrow in the red circle at it's center. They were in the training court right outside the palace. It was almost empty though; people were still resting from the battle.

"Where is she now?" Oliver asked.

"She's in her room." He sighed in defeat. He didn't know why the Queen gave him this responsibility, but he wasn't in any position to object.

"But isn't she supposed to be with you?" Oliver fired at the target, his arrow landing right next to Len's. He cursing under his breath; there had always been a rivalry between the two, but his best friend and commanding officer had better skills than him by a long shot. However, it was still fun to pretend he could beat the Sapientas' second.

"I told her to stay in her room. She won't come out anyway; she melts at the sight of the sun."

His friend laughed. "Guess you have your hands full."

"Excuse me." Both Sapientas turned around to see a tall, blue-haired man with smiling eyes. "I know this is an odd request, but would you mind training with me?"

Len nodded, holding out his hand. "Len Kagamine."

The man happily shook his hand, a polite smile on his face. "Kaito Shion."

…

As soon as Rin had been shown to her new room, Len had ordered her to stay there, what most people would likely call boring.

Normally, she would have been asleep at this time of day, but right now, she preferred a bath over it. It was only across the hall, and she didn't intend on actually _listening_ to Kagamine anyway.

So here she was, squeaky clean and standing in front of a huge wardrobe containing what she figured was the Blessed's old clothes. Which, in this case, were all white dresses. She sighed, randomly picking one, glad to have something else than her black leather combat outfit to change into. She looked for shoes, but couldn't find any. Oh well; it's not like she was going outside; and if so, she still had her boots; she didn't care if it looked weird with what she was wearing.

Rin stared into the mirror, hating what she was seeing; she had lost some weight because of her captivity in the dungeon, and the dress only highlighted that fact by hugging her petite waist tightly. White only accentuated the purple out of her stale blue eyes, which was her most hated feature. She hated the reminder of her powers… of her _blood._ In a way, she was glad to be blonde; it was usually the first thing people noticed, rather than the eyes every Cloaked had.

She plopped onto her king sized bed and laid there for a while, gazing at the high celling; she was _very _sleepy, but so many things ran through her mind making it impossible to doze off. Then, Rin heard a knock on the door.

Feeling annoyed, she dragged her feet to the door. What did that _Sapienta_ want anyway? At least she had stayed in the castle! And she hadn't planned on murdering anyone!

Opening one of her large wooden doors, she jumped, surprised to see the Animus' second instead.

"Hey!" He grinned at her like they'd known each other since childhood.

"Can I… help you?" she asked slowly, unsure of the reason he had come.

"Well," he began. "I was wondering if you'd like to walk around town or something… I mean, you can't be that bad, right?" He laughed.

Rin wasn't sure how she felt about his comment, but she decided to simply brush it off. She pondered his offer for a moment before finally deciding to agree; she didn't have anything better to do. "Sure," Rin answered, turning around to grab her black boots before following after the tealette.

…

"Yeah, my mother's a dress maker, and my father, a blacksmith… I followed in his footsteps…" Kaito replied. All three men were sitting down on the grass, taking a break. Actually, they were done training, the day coming to an end.

"Really? Guess you could help Len here." Oliver elbowed his friend in the arm. "He lost his best bow when the wall blew up."

"Oli–" Len started with an exasperated look.

"Yeah, I could do that; it'll be no problem," Kaito cut in, nodding.

Len shook his head with a sigh. "Kaito, it's fine; really."

The man grinned. "Nah. Come see me at my father's shop in… say... three days?" He stood up, stretching his arms above his head. "Well, I'd better get going." He waved as he exited the training grounds..

Len glared at Oliver. "You know you didn't need to do that; I still have other bows."

"Hey! You lost your best one. Kaito's good man; he'll make you a new one."

Len sighed, shaking his head again as he slowly rose to his feet. "Got to go check if missy decided to stay in her room," he muttered.

The other blonde laughed. "Good luck!" he sang teasingly, waving in a girly manner.

…

"I should probably get going… Mister Sir Kagamine will get pissed," Rin stated, noticing the sun setting in the west. They had found a place under a tree near the seashore because she couldn't really stand the sun. It was an odd feeling, having the sun tickle your skin. She wasn't sure if she liked it though; and she felt disoriented with her new time change too.

Mikuo was a pretty nice guy; compared to the others, that is. He joked a lot, and didn't seem to take anything seriously. He was also a little full of himself, but she had to admit that she enjoyed his company.

He'd told her about how hard he'd worked to become a second so he could see his twin again. Rin respected that, even though Miku seemed to hold a grudge against her… Whatever; that girl was full of herself too. _Runs in the family_, she thought, smiling inwardly.

"Okay, well, I'll see you later?" Mikuo asked, grinning again.

She gave him a small smile, unable to help herself. "Yeah, whenever."

…

When Len arrived in front of Rin's room, he doubted she was there. Still, hoping against hope, he knocked, not surprised in the least when he got no answer. He slowly opened the large doors, finding the room predictably empty. He sighed helplessly and slumped down on her chair near the desk.

…

"Where _were_ you?" Len barked angrily when Rin came into her room.

"I was with Mikuo." She eyed him darkly. "And get out of my room!"

"_I'm_ the one in charge of you, so you better listen to what _I _say!" he fumed, struggling to keep himself from yelling.

"I honestly don't care," Rin retorted, smirking.

Len let out a bitter laugh. "Too bad; you want people to have faith in you? Well, you're doing _one hell_ of a job, aren't you?"

She sat on her bed, avoiding his eyes stubbornly. He noticed multiple red patches marring her white skin; she had been outside, and this actually did surprised him, considering her obvious dislike for the sun. He wasn't sure if her spending time in the daylight was a good idea; she had never really seen the sun, much less been _under _it, and her skin wasn't used to its rays.

"Look, I'll make you a deal," Len offered, his voice steady despite his anger.

Rin raised an eyebrow, her eyes sparkling with interest. "Go on…"

"You do as I say, and I'll _consider_ giving you more freedom… I can even go to the extent of getting you your poison needles and dagger back, if I want." Len crossed his arms and smirked victoriously; Rin was _very _tempted, and he knew it.

She stared at the ground, a frown on her features. "So basically," her gaze fell on Len, "if I do as you say, _maybe_ you'll let me do what I want." Her statement lacked conviction.

"Hey; it's better than nothing." Len's smirk widened.

She glared at him with a challenging look for a second, but sighed in defeat. "Fine. Whatever."

…

Len was slowly walking out of the palace, deep in his thoughts. He wasn't sure what Rin would do to try to gain his trust; he wasn't even sure if it mattered; could he ever trust a Cloaked? He doubted she would act nice, and he was pretty sure that in a life and death situation, she'd let him die despite the fact that she'd saved him and Oliver in the last fight. Whatever the case was, he needed to supervise her; and since that was his only option available, then he had no choice but to try and outsmart her; he didn't have any intentions of actually letting her wander freely in Gaudium, and he knew sooner or later she'd figure it out. But if it temporarily made her listen to him, then it didn't matter. It wouldn't work later, but he'd cross that bridge when he got there.

"You know, you should go see a Healer…"

He whipped around to find Miku standing there, her arms crossed shyly behind her back.

"I'm fine," he stated, slightly irritated.

"But you fell from a wall. And don't lie to me; I know it hurts–"

"Miku, seriously, I'm fine. I need some sleep, that's all. Okay?" Actually, she knew it was true; he – surprisingly – only a little stiff. She had no idea how he had survived a fall that big, especially with the added momentum of an explosion, and he clearly didn't know either.

She took a step closer to him, biting her bottom lip. "Fine, but you should take care of yourself… I know it's because you want your father–" She stopped in the middle of her sentence, knowing she'd said too much.

Len gave her a slight, unamused smirk and turning away, feeling as if his whole life was being read like a book.


End file.
